Search Begins for Two Civil Service Commissioners

By Aaron Morrison&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Sun 4:58 PM, Jul 13, 2014&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Sun 11:07 PM, Jul 13, 2014

Meridian, Miss. It was just last Thursday when commissioners John House and Robert Stockton resigned from the Civil Service Commission. In an interview with Newscenter 11, City Council President Dustin Markham says the council members didn't see these resignations coming and that if the two wanted to sit down and talk they could, but for now the council and the mayor need to move on and begin a new search for two new commissioners.

"At this point we have to sit down with the mayor and we'll probably do it in one of our new work sessions," said Markham. "We need to discuss what we need to do in order to expedite the process of getting two new Civil Service Comissioners appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, so that they can get to work."

Markham says both commissioners who resigned had experience in working for the Civil Service Commission. Although the resignations still remain a mystery, the city must begin the process of finding two new commissioners.

"We're going to have to find two more commissioners that will be willing to step up and make decisions on behalf of our employees," said Markham. 'The longer we operate below 5 commissioners, we can still operate, but the longer we operate below 5 the longer our employees aren't getting the remedies that they need."

According to Markham, when it comes to hiring the two new commissioners, it requires communication, something that has been a problem in the past.

"We ask that they mayor communicate with us and work with us because usually when those individuals are appointed they are appointed out of particular wards," said Markham. "So, he would like to discuss with the council some of the aspects related to what we need in a civil service commissioner."

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